NY Times By TIM ARANGO BAGHDAD — Less than two months after American troops left, the State Department is preparing to slash by as much as half the enormous diplomatic presence it had planned for Iraq, a sharp sign of declining American influence i… more »

By Caroline McDonald, PropertyCasualty360.com While the cause of the Costa Concordia accident is still under investigation, insurance and reinsurance markets are bracing for loss claims that could ultimately reach $1 billion, according to Moody’s Inves… more »

ReutersBy Tom Hals Owners of thousands of U.S. homes tainted with foul-smelling Chinese drywall agreed to a legal settlement on Thursday with a German manufacturer. An attorney for the plaintiffs, Russ Herman, said the settlement reached with Knauf… more »

Unknown investor or hedge fund 'made $850million bet'Bet in futures market reportedly done at odds of 10/1George Soros made similar bet on currency in 1992But source says he wasn't involved in rumoured trade UK Daily Mail By Mark Duell… more »

 Al Qaeda Protesters CNN Money By Jennifer Liberto, senior writer WASHINGTON (CNNMoney) -- With the tab already running into the hundreds of millions of dollars, the U.S. military intervention in Libya has sparked a debate over funding. To date, t… more »